CMBA Player Spotlight: Aidan J. Smith
Aidan J. Smith
U of C Dino's Player Profile (2020-2021)
Past CMBA Community: Cochrane Minor Basketball & Calgary Northwest Basketball
Current School: University of Calgary
Accolades/Awards (Academic or Athletic): 2019 Div 1 Men’s High School Calgary City Champions, 2019 REB Invitational MVP, 2020 Grade 12 Athlete of the year
Current Activities/Hobbies: Podcasting, Video editing, Music
Questions with University of Calgary player Aidan J. Smith:
Q: Who is your favourite basketball player?
A: LeBron James. Lebron was the original reason I got into basketball as a kid, I used to watch his mixes all the time on youtube when I was little.
Q: Which basketball team do you root for?
A: Toronto Raptors because they are the only Canadian team in the NBA.
Q: Who has the best basketball uniforms of any college or pro team you like?
A: The purple throwback Toronto Raptors jersey’s from the 90s, or the Miami Vice jerseys the Miami heat have been rocking the past couple years.
Q: What is your favourite basketball movie?
A: Space Jam! I used to go to a basketball camp every summer when I was little and we always had a 20 minute break for lunch where we would watch a part of the movie
Q: What is your favourite candy?
A: Mars Bars
Q: What is your favourite ice cream?
A: Cookies and Cream
Q: Do you have a hobby?
A: Video editing because I get to use my imagination and creativity to create effects on the screen that used to only exist in my head.
Q: Do you have a favourite pregame meal before you play a basketball game?
A: A bowl of Vector cereal for breakfast, and a apple 2 hours before my game
Q: What is your favourite basketball play?
A: Alley Oop. It always gets the fans cheering and can change the momentum of a game
Q: What do you love most about the game of basketball?
A: The competitiveness, playing basketball at a high level brings out people’s competitive nature which leads to some of the most intense moments
Q: Do you have a favourite memory from when you played in the CMBA?
A: Playing against my friends, normally we would play on the same team for club, but in CMBA we got to play against each other.
Q: What is the best piece of advice you received from a coach?
A: Take care of the little things. All the big picture stuff will come together if you focus on the little details.
Q: What is one piece of advice you would give to younger players?
A: Don’t be afraid to fail. Nobody is perfect, even your favourite NBA player has failed at some point.
Q: Being a youth coach yourself, what is one piece of advice you would give youth coaches?
A: Winning isn’t everything. Basketball is about improving and developing skills, we shouldn’t sacrifice the development of a player just to win the game.
Q: What basketball skill is your greatest strength?
A: My IQ and passing, I’ve always been a student of the game, however I’ve been working really hard to make shooting my strongest strength. It’s not quite there yet, but it’s close.
Q: What was your biggest failure or adversity you have faced in the game, and how did you over come it?
A: I tried out for the Alberta Provincial team every single year, and never made the team once. I used it as motivation and to prove to everyone that they shouldn’t have passed up on me.
Q: Are you a vocal leader on the court or do you lead by example? Or both?
A: On my High School and Club teams I was both, however my role going into university is going to be different so I may not lead by example, but I think everyone can be a vocal leader on and off the floor.
Q: How do you find positive ways to communicate with your teammates? To build team culture.
A: We’re all good friends off the court, we have Fifa nights, or we go out for dinners sometimes, and have a fantasy basketball league. It’s been difficult with Covid but we’ve found some ways to keep our team culture.
Q: What is something interesting about you that no one really knows?
A: I’m really scared of crabs.
Q: What is your favourite class or subject in University?
A: Innovation & Entrepreneurship because at the end of the semester we get to create a business plan and pitch it in a competition for a bunch of rewards.
Q: What are your plans after you graduate?
A: Not too sure right now, I definitely want to play professional basketball somewhere after university though .
Q: How are you training during the Covid-19 pandemic to prepare for the next season?
A: I haven’t played university basketball yet so I’ve been watching a lot of old game tape to learn as much as I can, I also have a drill I do where I lay on my back and shoot the ball straight up the air 100 times.
